Historical Marker Program

Cromwell

Seminole County
Location: south of the intersection of Shawnee Avenue (OK-56) and Jenkins Street in Cromwell
Coordinates: 35.340333, -96.458900
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): Cromwell Alumni Association and the Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Folklore/Folklife; Industry/Business; Law and Order; Petroleum; Urban Development

The Cromwell oil field and town were named for Joe I. Cromwell of Muskogee, Oklahoma. A gas well, the #1 Jim Willis, was completed by the Cosden Oil Co. on November 11, 1922. However, it was not until the discovery of oil by the Cromwell Oil & Gas Company at the #1 Bruner on October 2, 1923, that the drilling boom started. A total of 393 wells produced oil in the field. The town of Cromwell and the surrounding oil field had a peak population of 10,000 during 1923 and 1924. Lawlessness became rampant and caused the town to be named “Cromwell the Wicked.” To help curb the lawlessness in the town, William (Bill) Tilghman, a pioneer law officer and one of the famous “Three Guardsmen” of Oklahoma was named chief of police in September 1924. On November 1, 1924, at the age of 70, Tilghman was slain at the entrance of Murphy’s dance hall, located where this marker stands.